Surveying and leveling instrument



April 12, 1938. D. H. Loosu 2,113,893

SURVEYING AND LEVELING INSTRUMENT Filed May 14, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet l I n venfor A itorneys April 12, 1938.

D. H. LOOSLI 2,113,393

SURVEYING AND LEVELING INSTRUMENT Filed May 14, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 &

In venior .D. H. Loosli g uwm v m m A iiorney April 12, 1938. D. H. LOOSLIQ I SURVEYING AND LEVELING INSTRUMENT 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I Filed May 14, 1937 Inventor Z. H..Zooslz.'

Attorneus l Patented Apr. 12, 1938 m EDsTATEs PATENT OFFICE Dimond H. LooslLLAshtoh, Idaho Application May 14, 1937, Serial No. 142,702

ill

4 Claims.

This invention is an instrument, in the nature of a level which may be used for surveying and indicating the rise and fall or height of terrain and amoung the objects of theinvention are to provide a device or instrument of this character which can be readily carried from place to place, easily set up for use, and will at the same time have a high degree of accuracy in leveling operations. a

The invention includes the provision of an improved target to be used in conjunction with the improved level.

The invention together with its objects and advantages will be best understod from a study of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is an elevational view of the instrument.

Figure 2 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 22 of Figure 1. V

Figure 3 is a detail View taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail View showing the manner of connecting fluid tubes or columns to the elbows at the opposite ends of a tubular arm.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the supporting head of a tripod andi Figure 6 is a perspective view of one of the glass'tubes or water columns. 1

Figure 7 is an elevational view illustrating the manner of using the level and target.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary elevational view of the 1 target rod.

:2 cured to the wings I through the medium of bolts and wing nuts 8 are the upper ends of supporting legs 9 which are inclined at an angle correspond- 7 ing to the angle of inclination of the outer edges of the jaws of the clamp are accommodated between the sides of the U-shaped member l2 and are apertured to receive a bolt l4 that extends through the apertured sides of the U-shaped bracket l2 and is equipped with a wing nut l5 which when screwed home on the bolt serves to draw the sides of the U-shaped member l2 and the ends of the jaws of the clamp I3 inwardly.

At the opposite end thereof the jaws of the clamp l3 are also apertured to accommodate a clamping bolt l6 equipped with a winged nut I1 and which cooperates with the bolt I4 to secure the jaws of the clamp about an elongated tubular member l8. In this connection, it will also be appreciated that the bolt l4 serves as a pivot for the clamp l3 and also serves to secure the tubular member If at the desired angular position of adjustment.

Threaded or otherwiseprovided on the respec-- As clearly shown in Figure 4 each nipple has threadedon its free end a packing nut 2! with which, in turn is threadedly engaged at gland nut 22 that cooperates with the packing nut 2| to secure at the freeend of the nipple 20 a packing 23 throughwhich one end of a glass or other transparent water tube or column 24 extends into "the nipple 20.

Also, and as-clearly shown in Figures 1 and 3, there is provided in the tubular member l8 adjacent one end thereof a manually operable valve 25.

For protecting the sight glasses 24 when the leveling instrument is not in use there is provided for each sight glass 24 a tubular protector casing 26, as shown in Fig. 4 and the casing 26 at one end is internally threaded to tread onto the upper end of a gland nut 22 as shown in said figure.

For use in conjunction with the leveling instrument there is provided a target indicated generally by the reference numeral 21.

Target 2'! comprises a flat narrow elongated rod 28 provided on one face thereof with a series of graduations 29, the scale 29 being graduated in terms of inches and fractions thereof.

Slidable to the desired positon of vertical adjustment on the rod 28 is a target plate 30 to the back of which is secured a U-shaped member 3! that embraces the rod 28. Carried by the member 3! intermediate its end is a spring 32 that has bearing contact with the back of the rod 21 and serves to frictionally secure the target plate 30 at the position of adjustment on the rod 21.

As shown in Fig. 10 the upper half of the face of target plate 30 is colored black while the lower half of said face is white to provide intermediate the upper and lower edges of the target plate a horizontal line 33 thereon to correspond to what may be the fluid surface level.

It will be understood that water is placed in the tubular member l 8 and the water columns or glass tubes 24 to an amount sufficient to provide, under normal conditions, a water level at a point coinciding with substantially half the length of the glass tubes or water columns 24. It will be further noted that the tubes are opened at their upper ends so that beads are formed in the glass at the top of the water columns therein and which beads are easily seen from quite a distance.

In the practical operation of leveling, the instrument is set up, and the instrument may then be leveled by means of the two heights of fluid or water in the glasses 24. The use of the rod 28 with a target thereon is usual and customary in both leveling and surveying operations. After the instrument and target have been set up, and the instrument leveled, the rodm-an will take the rod a predetermined distance away from the level and by sighting across the liquid so that the two surfaces will coincide with the mark or line 33 on the face'of the target plate 30, this will give the increase of height or the decrease, thus showing the variations in the contour of the terrain.

It will be further understood that when the instrument is in use valve 25 is in open condition. When however the leveling instrument isbeing carried from place to place valve 25 is closed, and with the valve closed, and the instrument being carried at an angle of about which is the usual angle of the instrument when being carried on the shoulder of the rodman, the water in the tube above the valve cannot flow past the valve and the water below the valve cannot escape as it will become entrapped between the valve and the elbow on the lower end of the tubular rod. Thus in this manner the loss of water during transportation of the instrument is effectively guarded against.

Also with the protector tubes or shields 25 in position. the water tubes 24 will be protected against breaking.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:-

1. A leveling instrument comprising a tripod, a clamp mounted on the tripod for pivotal movement relative thereto, means for Securing the clamp at the desired position of angular adjustment, a leveling tube secured by said clamp and extending at right angles from the tripod, elbows at the ends of the tube, packing and gland structures mounted upon said elbows, sight glasses having ends extending into said elbows through said gland and packing structures, and a valve mounted in said leveling tube adjacent one end of the latter.

A leveling instrument comprising a tripod including a head and inclined legs secured to said head, said head having a vertical axial opening therethrough, a U-shaped member disposed on said head, a bolt extending through said U-shaped member and the opening in said head and securing said Uz-shaped member to the head, a leveling tube, a clamp embracing said tube intermediate the ends of the latter, means pivotally connecting said clamp to said U-shaped member and including means for securing the clamp at the desired position of angular adjustment, elbows on the respective opposite ends of said tube, sight glasses mounted upon the upper ends of said elbows, and gland and packing assemblies securing the sight tubes to the elbows.

3. A leveling instrument comprising a tripod, a clamp mounted on the tripod for pivotal movement relative thereto, means for securing the clamp at the desired position of angular adjustment, a leveling tube secured by said clamp and extending at right angles from the tripod, elbows at the ends of the tube, packing and gland structures mounted upon said elbows, and sight glasses having ends extending into said elbows through said gland and packing structures, protector tubes for said sight glasses, and interengaging means on said protector tubes and on said packing and gland structures for releasably securing the protector tubes in position circumjacent the sight glasses.

4. In a leveling instrument of the character described, a leveling tube, elbows at the respective opposite ends of the tube, packing and gland structures respectively mounted upon said elbows, sight glasses having ends extending into said elbows through said gland and packing structures, said gland structures having threaded upper ends, and protector tubes for said sight glasses having internal threads at one end thereof for screwthreaded engagement with said upper ends of the gland structures.

DIMOND H. LOOSLI. 

